Moral Dilemmas

Moral dilemmas are thought experiments which ask you to imagine a difficult situation and decide what you think the morally correct course of action would be. There are no truly ‘right’ answers to these questions, as they often ask you to compare two different moral imperatives and choose which one you feel is most important.

For example, if we accept that it is morally correct to never torture a living creature, and that it is morally correct to save a human’s life if you have the ability to do so, how do you decide what to do if you can only save a human’s life by torturing someone else?

Read through these 25 moral dilemmas, and have a think about what you might do in each situation.

  • The Overcrowded Lifeboat

    In 1842, a ship struck an iceberg and more than 30 survivors were crowded into a lifeboat intended to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became obvious that the lifeboat would have to be lightened if anyone were to survive. The captain reasoned that the right thing to do in this situation was to…

  • The Mad Bomber

    A madman who has threatened to explode several bombs in crowded areas has been apprehended. Unfortunately, he has already planted the bombs and they are scheduled to go off in a short time. It is possible that hundreds of people may die. The authorities cannot make him divulge the location of the bombs by conventional…

  • The Life Insurance POlicy

    Mary is in a hospital lounge waiting to visit a sick friend. A young man sitting next to Mary explains that his father is very ill. The doctors believe that he has a week to live at most. He explains further that his father has a substantial life insurance policy that expires at midnight. If…

  • The Incriminating Email

    You are the network administrator for a rather large company. You have a young family and need your job to support them. Part of your responsibility as a network administrator is to monitor the emails for the organization. Usually this just means occasionally allowing through emails for staff members that have been accidentally blocked by…

  • The Hostage Ecologists

    Tom is part of a group of ecologists who live in a remote stretch of jungle. The entire group, which includes eight children, has been taken hostage by a group of paramilitary terrorists. One of the terrorists takes a liking to Tom. He informs Tom that his leader intends to kill him and the rest…

  • The Hospital Ventilation

    Carrie is a doctor working in a hospital. Due to an accident in the building next door, there are deadly fumes rising up through the hospital’s ventilation system. In a certain room of the hospital are four of her patients. In another room there is one of her patients. If she does nothing the fumes…

  • The Hijacked PLane

    You are on a plane containing 150 people, currently flying over barren desert. Hijackers take over, killing the pilot and co-pilot, and sealing themselves in the cockpit. There is no way for you to open the door, but you could damage the ventilation system causing poisonous fumes to fill the cockpit. If you do this…

  • The Expensive Treatment

    Your partner is dying from a rare disease. Luckily a cure has recently been invented, by one druggist who lives fairly close to you. This druggist is selling the cure for ten times the amount it cost him to make it. You try to raise the money, but even borrowing from friends and taking a…

  • The Drowning Children

    You and your family are going away for the weekend. Your daughter is 7 and is best friends with your niece, who is also 7. Your families are very close and your daughter asks if your niece can come with you on your holiday. You have been on holidays together before and don’t see any…

  • The Deliberate Infection

    Ken is a doctor. One of his patients, whom he has diagnosed as HIV positive, is about to receive a blood transfusion prior to being released from the hospital. He has told Ken, in the confidence of their doctor-patient relationship, that after he gets his transfusion, and his medicine from Ken, he intends to infect…

  • The Concentration Camp

    You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don’t he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don’t have any…

  • The Bali Drugs Charge

    You are on holiday in Bali with your wife and 18 year old son. You have been there for a week and are ready to head home. All three of you are at the airport getting ready to board your plane, when an armed officer comes around with a sniffer dog. You have all your…